4 by 10
by armageddon-incarnate
Summary: A songfic, mostly about character's reactions after Dumbledore's death. This was written as part of my grief process, so please review and make me feel better! HPGW, RLNT, sort of. Yeah, I know, no one's gonna read this, 'cause it's a songfic, but I don't


4 by 10

_It's not strange, no mystery_

_You and I are history_

Ginny couldn't believe it. What was Harry saying? Didn't he love her? She thought things had been going so well, but… she knew Harry was different after Dumbledore's death, that he now had a mission, but what that mission was, she couldn't be sure…

_I've put up my protective wall_

_It's four feet thick and ten feet tall…_

Harry knew what he had to do, but it stung him, hurt him. It made him ache inside. He was sick of it, sick and tired of being a hero. He hated Voldemort, hated what he represented, the obstacle Harry needed to overcome. And Snape… Harry couldn't even think about the greasy, slimy Potions teacher. Defense Against the Dark teacher, Harry corrected himself snidely in his head. He hated Snape, hated him, felt a burning fire all over his skin when he thought about what Snape had done to Harry, to Hogwarts, to the entire Wizarding world. Destroyed their only hope of survival, the only wizard Voldemort was scared of… Albus Dumbledore.

_Ten feet tall and four feet thick_

_Granite, concrete, steel and brick_

_Protection for, you understand, _

_The little boy, the inner man…_

Rubeus Hagrid stood and wept over the former headmaster's grave. He just couldn't be gone, just couldn't. Everything that had gone on in the past few years, all the horrors that had happened, Dumbledore had remained strong, a leader. Everything he'd done for each and every person at that school, the students, the teachers, Hagrid himself. Hagrid took out a massive handkerchief, and wiped his damp eyes on it, not making a sound. And in the silence, Fang lifted his head and howled a long and mournful cry.

_Boys kiss the girls, then make them cry_

It's a man's job, and his wife… 

Ron and Hermoine couldn't even look at each other. Ron stared numbly at the fire, still trying to understand what happened. Hermoine tried to get absorbed in a book, but her mind kept going back to Harry, gone. Slow tears dripped down her face, and she didn't even look up when Ron's lean shadow covered her. "Hermoine," he started, then gave up. He just didn't know what to say. So, slowly, as if Hermoine was some kind of animal that was going to run off at any sudden movements, he knelt down and hugged her. She grabbed his shoulders, pulled him closer to her, and wept into his shoulder. He didn't make any moves to leave, just stayed there and rubbed her back, whispering something in her ear. She didn't know what he was saying, but it was as close to comforting as it was going to get on a night like this.

_But when you cry, you're just a clone,_

_Of every woman I've known…_

Severus Snape didn't even look back, just kept his eyes straight ahead, but he couldn't stop the tears. Angrily, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. 'Still a sniveling child, Severus? Hm? Still weak? The Dark Lord would enjoy this!' he thought to himself. But no matter the angry thoughts he half-mumbled to himself, he couldn't stop the tears. He had done it. Killed the one man he had ever gotten a shred of sympathy from, the one man who made Snape feel like he really cared about anyone. And the sudden fear, the one that came immediately after he had cast the spell, the forbidden one. Avada Kadavra. Silently, Snape promised himself he would never cast that spell again.

_And every Harry, Dick and Tom,_

_Gets all of this shit from his mom._

Seamus Finnegan stood red-faced in the hall. Finally, his grandmother had allowed him to stay for Dumbledore's funeral. The white-haired headmaster had always just been a strong figure in Seamus' life, a leader. And with that leader gone, Seamus felt lost, alone. The world was a little bit darker.

_Who was unhappy, Mom was sad, _

_Because of a wall that Dad had…_

Nymphadora Tonks sat in the darkened room. The rain was coming down, making splattering noises on the windowpane. The love of her life, Remus Lupin sat by the window, staring out at the darkness, not making any sounds. It was quiet in the room, too quiet. Smiling slightly, Tonks made her eyebrows grow to three times their normal size, then turned her nose into a dog's nose, trying to make the man across from her laugh. He didn't even notice her, just kept staring out the window. The smile on Tonks' face slowly faded away. She looked away from the man, a man she thought she knew, but really, she now realized, she didn't know him at all…

_Once it's up it won't come down,_

_Mom's a queen, Dad's a clown,_

Minerva McGonagall walked slowly around his office, her new office. It was empty, and felt cold. He had warned her of the drafts, the cold blasts of air that entered the room. She had always replied that it would always be he that held that office. And she had come to believe it. The previous headmasters on the walls slept, some snoring. But Minerva wasn't going to sleep tonight. Nor, no doubt, would anyone else in the castle.

_It's not strange, no mystery, _

_That you and I are history,_

Fred and George sat in the back of their shop, listlessly playing with the rubber wands and other various funny items they had invented. On cold dark nights like this, they didn't feel very funny. "Did you lock the door, Fred?" George asked. Fred merely nodded. "Not that the Death Eaters would want to come and kill two jokers anyway," he said shortly. Then, there was a knock on the door…

_It's four feet thick and ten feet tall…_

Neville Longbottom sat in his room, silent. How could he tell them? There was no way… But if he didn't, and they found out… Neville bit his lip and rubbed his head, trying to get a hold on his thoughts. Everything mixed itself up in his brain, he couldn't think straight. He didn't know how, but tears slowly leaked out from the corner of his eyes, sliding down his cheeks, into the dirt that held a potted plant. He couldn't, couldn't tell them, couldn't tell his secret…

A/N: Yeah, I know, really depressing. BTW, the song is '4 by 10' by Loudon Wainwright the third, and if you don't know who he is, I suggest you immedietly go out and by his CD 'So Damn Happy'. It is the best! This may turn into a mulit-chapter fic later on, if I get enough reviews or ideas. So review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or '4 by 10'. J.K. Rowling and Loudon Wainwright own them, respectivly. Pardon all my mistakes, this is unbetaed.


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